A few of the photographs may be taken by others. Formats comprise 91 photographic postcards and 28 black-and-white prints, many on card mounts but some in the form of more casual snapshots there are also eight copy negatives. The great majority of the subjects appear to be African American however, there are also individuals who are multi-racial, and possibly white and Asian. Collection consists of 118 photographs, mostly studio portraits taken by Michael Francis Blake from about 1912 to 1934, with some outdoor settings. This album is too quiet for me, and the producer credits gave Ocean an opportunity to make something bolder.Michael Francis Blake was one of Charleston, South Carolina's first African American studio photographers. Ocean’s vocal performance on Blonde is much better, but inconsistent track listing and a lack of instrumental direction hold this album back. While Channel Orange was a really good record, Blonde was solid, but it was also disappointing. Ocean should’ve created songs about these topics rather than dumping these interludes here, which add nothing sonically to this record. These two tracks are recordings of conversation that have deep messages. Although some instrumentals are lackluster, Ocean’s performances carry the tracks and make them decent.Īlso, the interlude cuts “Be Yourself” and “Facebook Story” aren’t very enjoyable. When Frank’s vocals aren’t studio edited, he gives gorgeous performances, and this happens through the majority of the album. However, the punchy, crisp drum beat paired with the gorgeous synths on this song make it enjoyable. His otherwise distinct, beautiful voice becomes metallic and anonymous. Like the song “Close to You,” where Ocean’s vocals are once again tampered with horribly. These three songs are Ocean’s best performances, but “Solo (Reprise)” is another highlight because of Andre 3000’s rapid fire flow on this track. “Nights” features powerful vocals from Ocean over wavy synths and bouncy percussion, and Ocean’s high-pitched singing at the end of this song is gorgeous. The way he describes his struggles with drugs with his lyrics is gripping. This instrumental complements Ocean, who once again performs wonderfully. “Pink + White” has the best instrumental on the album with simple guitar melodies and percussion. “Solo” features one of Ocean’s most animated vocal performances layered over an ethereal humming, and the personality in his voice is amazing. However, when Ocean’s voice dominates, it produces the best songs on this album. While simplicity can produce good songs, the tracks are so simple that they’re boring. Other instrumentals on songs like “Skyline to,” “Seigfried,” and “White Ferrari” are very quiet. Most of the instrumentals are very simple, such as those on the song “Ivy.” This song features repetitive and reverb-soaked keys, which become tiresome. This problem reoccurs for a sizeable portion of the album. The instrumental on this song also becomes stale very quickly, because it doesn’t progress throughout the song. Even at the end of the song, where the vocal effects are lessened, his voice sounds sterile.

20 through Def Jam Records, and it feels rather underwhelming.īlonde kicks off with the song “Nike’s,” and despite being an excellent vocalist, Ocean’s vocals are pitch-shifted into a chipmunk-like voice that sucks the life out of his performance. While this new project, Blonde, (previously Boys Don’t Cry) built up massive hype, this album doesn’t satisfy the cravings for a Channel Orange follow-up.

It was far from perfect, but Ocean’s potential was clear.

The word ‘anticipation’ isn’t enough to capture the attitude of millions of people begging Frank Ocean to release a new album after his 2012 hit Channel Orange.

Cover of frank ocean blonde album